Comprehensive Details About
Well Woman Exam
A yearly preventive check-up with your doctor, separate from any other visit for sickness or injury.
A well-woman exam is an important part of a woman’s preventive health care, regardless of her age. What happens at these exams depends a lot on your stage of life, your sexual history, and any health concerns.
Women benefit from having their first wellness exam around age 13-15. This first visit is a great opportunity to meet with the doctor and review questions about a girl’s menstrual cycle, sexuality, and other reproductive health questions.
You might talk about your period, especially if you’re worried about it being heavy, painful, or irregular. If you’re under 18, you may get some shots, like the HPV vaccine.
If you’re sexually active (meaning you’ve had vaginal, anal, or oral sex), you may talk about birth control or STD testing.
There are some specific cancer-related tests and exams you should get during a wellness visit, depending on your age, medical history, and when you had your last test:
- Ages 21-24: You may choose to start getting Pap tests at this age if you want
- Ages 25-65: HPV test (or a Pap and HPV test together) every 5 years
- Ages 25-39: clinical breast exam every 1-3 years
- Ages 40+: mammogram every 1-2 years.
As you get older, or if your health changes, your wellness visits will include other tests and exams.
What Happens During a Well-Woman Exam?
A well woman exam will start like any other doctor’s appointment. You will be asked to fill out paperwork with questions about your family medical history, any medications you’re taking, general demographic information, your menstrual cycle, whether or not you’re sexually active, and if you’ve been pregnant before. A nurse will take your height, weight, and blood pressure and may ask follow-up questions about your intake forms. They will then give you a dressing gown and leave the room so you can change.
There are four parts of the well woman exam: the physical exam, breast exam, pelvic exam, and pap smear.
Physical Exam
The physical exam is much like what your general practitioner would do during an annual physical, but it can be more convenient to get your physical done at the same time as your well woman exam. Your gynecologist will review your medical history and ask about any current issues. They will check your vital signs, heartbeat, lungs, head, neck, abdomen and reflexes. Sometimes they will ask for blood work or a urine sample.
Breast Exam
As part of your well-woman exam, your doctor manually examines your breasts to check for lumps, discharge, or thickened tissue. A clinical breast exam is not a replacement for a mammogram.
Your doctor lets you know when you should begin these X-ray evaluations of your breasts. For most women, yearly mammograms are recommended after age 40. You may require them to begin earlier if you have a personal or family history of breast cancer.
Pelvic Exam
Once you reach age 21, you’ll likely undergo a pelvic exam at your well-woman visit. This exam allows the doctor to evaluate your reproductive organs as well as your external and internal vaginal region.
During the pelvic exam, you lie on an exam table with your feet propped up in stirrups. Your provider first examines the external area of your vagina, including the vulva and the labia. They are looking for any irritation, swelling, redness, or visual indications of sexually transmitted disease (STD).
The doctor uses an instrument, called a speculum, to hold open the walls of the vagina. This allows them to examine your cervix. You may feel some pressure, but if you can stay relaxed, the process goes quickly and stays pain-free.
Pap Smear
A Pap Smear checks for precancerous or cancerous cells. This is a quick procedure that involves taking a sample of your cervical cells and testing them to verify that they are healthy. It will feel like a strong pinch. This annual test is very important and it is necessary even if you are not experiencing any symptoms and do not have any personal concerns. However, you will not know the results of the Pap Smear test at your appointment. The cell sample has to be sent to a laboratory where it is carefully examined. Your results will take a few weeks to get back to you.
After the Pap Smear test, your health care provider will remove the speculum and perform a bimanual exam to check the health of your ovaries and uterus. This portion of the exam involves inserting a gloved and lubricated finger in to the vagina with one hand. With the other hand, they will press down on your stomach. You will feel pressure and some light discomfort is possible, but again, always tell your gynecologist how you are feeling throughout the examination.
Do I Really Need a Well-Woman Exam Every Year?
Yes. The expert women’s health practitioners at VERITAS OBGYN encourage you to schedule well-woman exams annually. Since chronic diseases, including cervical cancer, develop gradually over time, it’s important to have preventive screenings regularly. This gives your OB/GYN ample time to intervene early if they find any irregularities or abnormalities.
Adolescent gynecological exams should begin annually right around the time your teen gets her first period. She likely won’t need a pelvic exam or Pap test until she’s older than 18, but these early well-woman exams give her the education she needs to make educated decisions about her health.
How Do You Prepare for a Well Woman Exam?
Preparing for a well woman exam can improve the quality of healthcare that you receive during your visit.
Your doctor might ask questions about:
- Personal medical history
- Family health history
- Sexual activity
- Periods
- Eating and exercise habits
- Use of drugs and alcohol
- Relationships
- Mental health
Go into your well woman exam prepared to answer these questions.
You might feel uncomfortable at first discussing private information. It’s important to find a doctor that you’re comfortable with, and you should be confident that you can develop a good trusting relationship with them.
It’s essential to provide honest answers to questions so that your doctor can offer the best possible care.
Write down any questions you may have before your visit. It’s sometimes easy to forget important questions or concerns, so don’t take the chance of leaving without getting answers.
You may feel more comfortable with a friend or family member in the room with you. It’s important that you feel comfortable during your well woman visit, and we encourage you to bring someone if it makes your feel more comfortable.
Our Specialists
Pankak Singhal, MD, MS, MHCM, FACOG
Dr. Singhal is the Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Good Samaritan, as well as the System Chairman for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health for Catholic Health Services. He earned his medical degree from Madras Medical College in India, as well as a master in health care management from Harvard University. He is an SRC-accredited Surgeon of Excellence with Good Samaritan’s Center of Excellence designations in Robotic Surgery and Minimally Invasive Gynecology.
Virginia Elizabeth Mclean, MD, FACOG
Dr. Virginia McLean, MD is an Obstetrics & Gynecology Specialist in New York, NY. Her office accepts telehealth appointments.
Dr. Mclean graduated from the Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine in 2014. She works in Port Jefferson Station, NY and 8 other locations and specializes in Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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